


The Street Where You Live

by addledwalrus



Category: Original Work
Genre: 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Children, Children's Stories, Drama, Early Modern Era, Education, Family, Feelings, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Female Relationships, First Crush, Food, Friendship, Great Depression, Historical, Historical References, Holidays, Male-Female Friendship, Modern Era, Musical References, One Shot Collection, Originally Posted Elsewhere, Post-War, Pregnancy, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-07-13 02:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7135502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One short story for each decade about the life of a child growing up in that respective era.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 2008

**Author's Note:**

> Before I begin, I should state that this a collection of very short stories inspired by My Place, a television series about the kids who live in one house through the decades and the activities they get up to. You could even say that this is my take on it.
> 
> The idea belongs to Nadia Wheatley, Donna Rawlins and ABC. I did not come up with it.

Madison sat with her family as she ate her cereal, doing her best to ignore the disagreement that had sprung up between her mother and older sister.

"Dionne, what did I tell you about using your phone at the table?" Mrs Williams said in frustration as she glared at her older daughter. The teenager looked up at her mother and rolled her eyes.

"Mom, I'm only texting a friend..."

"I don't care. My house, my rules."

"Mom!"

"Dionne, your mother's right. About using technology during mealtimes, that is."

Madison couldn't resist cracking a smile at her father's statement. While it was true that he claimed to be the man of the house in public, it was her mother who really wielded the power in the family with the way she pulled off the role of both breadwinner and housewife.

The noise at the dining table seemed to dramatically decrease once her older brother and sister left the house to catch the bus to their high school. Madison's father departed for the bathroom soon after, leaving her alone with her mother.

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence until Madison's bowl was empty. She rushed to the bathroom just as her father walked out and she maneuvered her way around the large man.

Her father had already departed for work once she had finished brushing her teeth and washing her face. She grabbed her lunch and her school bag on her way outside, making sure to say goodbye to her mother as she had grown accustomed to doing.

As she strode quickly past the empty bus stop, Madison twitched with excitement while thinking of the days when she would also be able to hang out with the cool kids and attend wild parties the way her brother and sister did.

For now, she was just a ten year old in elementary school with only a handful of close friends, one of whom she would soon meet as she followed the route she knew like the back of her hand.


	2. 1998

The shrill ringing of an alarm clock rudely woke Zach from his slumber and he slammed his fist against the snooze button just so that the noise would stop. He rolled over to face the wall and closed his eyes, hoping to get five more minutes of sleep.

He was on the verge of dozing off again when he realized what day it was. He sat up abruptly, throwing off the bed covers and blinking to stay alert.

"Saturday! Pokemon!" He cried, remembering that his favorite morning cartoon was due to start soon. Even though it was a fairly new show that had only begun airing a couple of months before, it was already all the rage amongst many of the kids at his school and he was no exception.

He quickly changed out of his pajamas and into the same clothes he'd worn the previous day before dashing downstairs at breakneck speed, almost losing his footing at the last step.

After clumsily pouring himself a bowl of cereal, he trudged over to the fridge and noticed the note his mother had written before going to work. He tore it off and read it in amusement.

_Jennifer, please cook something warm and nutritious for your brother. You know how much sugar is in the cereal he eats. Love, Mom._

Zach grinned in triumph as he thought of his older sister still fast asleep upstairs. Once again, he had woken up earlier than her and was able to help himself to some wholesome frosted flakes, instead of the messy disaster she claimed was pancakes and eggs.

He grabbed the carton of milk from the fridge and poured it into his bowl. A good amount splashed on to the bench, but he didn't feel like cleaning up, knowing that Jennifer was bound to be irritated when she saw the mess he had made.

There was just something about his older sister when she was angry that he found hilarious. He always took enjoyment in playing pranks and getting on her nerves in general, if only to laugh at her facial expressions and often ineffectual threats.

His mind soon wandered back to Pokemon and he took his breakfast to the living room, where he slumped on the couch and pressed a button on the remote control.

He flicked through the channels until he saw what he'd been looking forward to. He smiled and made himself comfortable, before picking up his bowl of cereal so that he could start eating.

As he immersed himself in the plot of the latest episode of the cartoon, he felt grateful that the first day of the holidays was getting off to such a smooth start.


	3. 1988

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There isn't much in my opinion that reflects 1980s culture more than the golden age of MTV, so I ran with that.

It was just another quiet Saturday afternoon for Tina, as she lay on her bed reading a fashion magazine that her mother had left in the bathroom. She admired the beautiful models that graced it's pages and could only dream that she would one day look as perfect as they did.

Feeling increasingly self-conscious, she decided to put the magazine back where she'd found it and think of another way to pass the time. She walked downstairs and passed through the kitchen, where the housekeeper was busy restocking the pantry. She stood and watched as the large woman methodically placed cans and boxes of food onto each shelf, until she was told to scoot and find something better to do.

She obliged and soon found herself in the living room, going through the very books that her parents told her not to touch until she was in high school. She didn't understand why they would say such things for as she flipped through each one, what she read was no worse than what she often saw on television during the day.

An idea dawned upon her as she slid a racy romance novel back into it's place. She tiptoed back to the kitchen and upon seeing that the housekeeper was no longer there, sped towards the phone and dialed a familiar number. She picked up the receiver and waited until a woman's voice greeted her.

"Hi, Mrs Olsen. Can I speak to Jennifer?"

_"You're her friend Tina, aren't you?"_

"Yep!"

_"I'll get her. You just wait there for a second."_

It wasn't long before she heard the voice of her best friend and she excitedly told the other girl of her plans, before hanging up and dialing a second phone number.

Within an hour, three girls sat together on the living room couch watching MTV and eating ice cream, while commenting on the singers they saw on screen. A strange feeling came over Tina while she watched one music video in particular and she wondered for a moment whether there was something wrong with her or if she was coming down with some illness.

Fortunately, the odd feeling faded and gave way to excitement when she realized the next video would be one from her favorite artist, Madonna. She urged her friends to quieten down and they immediately stopped their swooning. They watched the remainder of the music video in silence until an announcer's voice lightened the mood and Tina joined her friends in cheerfully discussing what they had seen.


	4. 1978

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the case of the 1970s, I originally planned on having at least one mention of disco and dancing in general. However, I thought a story about a kid who feels disconnected from those around him would be just as fitting.

Michael rode his bicycle home from school and stopped once he was outside his house. He got off and wheeled it into the garage, making sure to leave it in a place well clear of where his father would later park the car.

He entered the house through a door in the garage and trudged through the kitchen, where his mother was already preparing dinner. He walked straight past her without a word and she looked at him in concern upon noticing his quietness.

Once he was upstairs in his room, he threw down his school bag and pulled out his exercise book so that he could catch up on some late homework. He racked his brain as he pushed through each math problem until several pages were full and he'd lost track of time.

It was only when he was sure that he'd finished all that he needed to do that he brought himself to look at the clock. If memory served him correctly, his mother would usually be setting the table by this time, meaning that dinner was almost ready.

Michael stood up from his chair and went out into the hallway towards the stairs. He passed his sister's room along the way and let curiosity get the better of him. Without knocking, he pushed her door open a little in the hope of finding out why she always shut herself inside.

A pillow flew at his face before he could react and the older girl angrily told him to mind his own business. He anxiously obeyed and rushed down the stairs to see his mother busy cutting a leg of lamb into thin slices. He sat down at the dining table and swallowed in uncertainty.

The sound of the family car driving into the garage seemed to put his mother on edge and he watched as she hurriedly set the last plate on the table, so that his father would be sufficiently pleased when he came in.

Michael didn't say a word as his parents seated themselves on either side of him and began eating first. His mother urged him to call his sister down for dinner and he did as he was told.

The meal went by slowly, with the only conversation being between his mother and father as they talked about a frightening event that had recently happened overseas.

Michael felt considerably more at ease once dinner was over and he didn't utter a word of protest when his mother asked him to wash the dishes. As he performed the chore, his parents turned on the television and his sister retired back upstairs.

It was only after drying the last dish that he realized how tired he was. He dragged his feet into the living room where his parents were now watching a silly game show. His mother invited him to sit down, but he ignored her invitation and simply climbed upstairs.

He collapsed on his bed and closed his eyes, slipping into his own fantasy world while pretending he couldn't hear the rock music coming from his sister's room.


	5. 1968

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was difficult to think of a story idea for this chapter especially, since 1968 was such a turbulent year with the height of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights Movement being just two of the overarching conflicts of the time.

Barbara sat on her family's porch in boredom while her mother took an afternoon nap nearby. She sighed and rested her head in her hands, wishing that things wouldn't be so quiet in the neighborhood and that her new sibling could be born soon, so that life would be at least a little more interesting.

The sight of a wriggling caterpillar distracted her and she thought of how it would one day become a butterfly with wings as bright and colorful as the new cartoons that she liked to watch on television. She wondered why her parents preferred black and white news programs when color was so much more appealing.

She heard the familiar sound of wheels running against gravel and she looked up to see her best friend Steven riding past on his bicycle. She stood up and ran down the porch steps towards him and he stopped, turning his head to stare at her in surprise.

After asking him to wait for her so that they could ride together, she crept around the house and retrieved her bicycle before quietly wheeling it out front so as not to wake her mother.

Barbara and Steven soon sped down the street and around the block, racing each other to see who could pedal faster. They stopped at the local convenience store along the way and bought themselves popsicles with some of her pocket money.

They ate their frozen treats together and Barbara poked her green tongue at a passerby despite the look of distaste they gave her.

The two children continued to ride for at least another hour, eventually heading back to their neighborhood just as the sun was beginning to set.

Barbara rode the rest of the way home after seeing Steven off and came back to see her mother standing on the porch, arms crossed in disappointment.

The woman scolded Barbara for going out without permission and upon noticing the sweat still visible on her forehead, demanded that she take a bath immediately.

Everything afterwards seemed to happen in a flash and before she knew it, Barbara was lying in bed, another day of summer having come to an end. She rolled around several times, finding that the stifling heat was making it impossible for her to fall asleep.

She eventually got out of bed and tiptoed out of her room to hear faint noises coming from the living room. She noticed the door was ajar and she crept up to it, peeking through the slit to see what her parents were watching on television so late at night.

Graphic images of disaster and suffering jumped out at her and she choked in horror at their intensity despite them all being in monochrome.

She ran back to bed and hid underneath the covers, sobbing while trying to erase the images from her mind.


	6. 1958

Tony sat in the living room, idly listening to the radio while his mother was in the kitchen baking a cake for a church event on Sunday. His attention was piqued when a rock and roll song came on and he straightened up in his chair, eager to hear the catchy song to it's full extent.

He was greatly disappointed therefore, when his mother abruptly strode into the living room and turned the radio off before the song could end.

"Tony, could you do me a favor?" She asked him cordially, unaware that she had just taken away his enjoyment for that afternoon. "I'd like you to go to the store and buy some more eggs. I've just run out."

Tony hopped from his seat with a sigh. Though being his mother's errand boy could be irritating at times, he figured that it wouldn't hurt to do her bidding just one more time.

He nodded and she smiled as she dropped some coins into his open hand. He curled his fingers around the money and dropped it into his pants pocket before walking out of the front door.

One of the houses he passed along the way belonged to none other than Miss Oswald, whom happened to be tending to her garden as he went by.

As she smiled and waved at him, Tony felt a warmth grow in his face and chest. He returned the gesture before quickening his pace until he was out of sight. He wasn't entirely sure why seeing his neighbor always made him feel that way, but he guessed it had something to do with her being one of the prettiest ladies he'd ever seen in his ten years of life. He even wondered at times if she was really an angel in disguise.

Unfortunately, his young age meant that he didn't stand a chance against any of the grown men whom frequently wooed her. This notion filled him with dismay and he could only hope that he would one day win the heart of a woman just as beautiful as her, if not more so.

All thoughts of his neighbor left his mind once he was at the grocery store however, and he focused instead on buying a dozen good eggs for his mother. He went to the counter and made his payment once he was satisfied with his choice, before exiting the store in high spirits.

He was distracted on the way back by a large television being displayed behind one shop window. As he stared at the wooden box with a screen, he found it hard to believe that such an invention was apparently ushering in a new era. Then again, he was hardly a good authority on what televisions were capable of, since his family had yet to buy one.

Tony resumed walking, hoping that his father would be able to afford one soon so that he could finally have something to brag about to the other children at school.


	7. 1948

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me ages to decide what this chapter would be about, but I've finally finished it. It also happens to be the longest one so far, so I hope there aren't any parts that seem unnecessary or out of place.

Sunday mornings were always a handful for Betty Oswald and her older brother James. On Saturdays, they were free to do whatever they pleased as long as they didn't make a mess or inadvertently anger their mother. However, today happened to be the day of the week when their father stayed at home instead of going to work, which meant they had to be on their very best behavior.

Betty watched as her mother hurriedly combed James' hair and gave him a clean shirt and pants to wear. She smiled in amusement at the funny faces her brother made, but her joy faded when she was beckoned over and put through the same strain that he had to go through.

She pouted as she eyed her reflection in the mirror, feeling uncomfortable in the pink dress and ribbons she'd been made to wear. Mrs Oswald seemed to think differently though, judging by the way she patted her daughter on the cheek and told her she was going to be a beautiful woman some day.

Betty trailed behind her family on the way to church, struggling to keep up with them while thinking about how it wasn't fair that she had to be the youngest and smallest.

Several women about her mother's age were already gathered outside the building when they got there. There were the usual sighs of adoration as eyes fell on Betty, James and all the other children present, but one thing Betty still didn't quite understand was why many of her friends' mothers tended to stare so longingly at her father. The man was neither handsome, rich nor kind, so it confused her as to what the other ladies saw in him.

The official service began and Betty sat down beside James as the priest spoke tirelessly for what seemed like hours. She yawned in boredom several times and when everybody lowered their heads to pray, her only wish was that it would end soon.

The long awaited end of the church service magically restored Betty's energy. She jumped up excitedly from the pew and pushed past the adults so that she could be one of the first to enter the lobby.

Cake and biscuits had been set out in the large room just as she'd hoped and she joined the other children in helping herself to the sweet treats. She skipped happily back towards James and her parents once she was satisfied.

Her mother scolded her for eating so greedily and she began to feel a little ashamed of her lack of restraint. Still, she couldn't blame herself for letting go in public, since she never really got to eat anything so delicious at home.

It was off to the store once they left the church, where Mrs Oswald bought ingredients for dinner that night. Betty found herself gazing at the colorful display of lollipops despite still feeling full from the cake and biscuits she'd eaten earlier.

In the evening, Betty played quietly with her brother in the living room while their mother cleaned and their father read the newspaper on the couch. She and James were ordered to go to bed just as they were beginning to get engrossed in their game, but they obediently ran to the bathroom regardless, out of fear of upsetting their father.

Betty curled underneath her blanket half an hour later while glancing towards James, who was already lying still and apparently asleep. She rolled over and looked up at the ceiling, wondering if there would ever come a time when she wouldn't have to share a bedroom with her brother.


	8. 1938

"Stanley, take the clothes inside please!"

"Yes, Muriel!" A freckle faced boy in overalls called out to his aunt as he rose from the floor and rushed outside to feel light droplets of rain all around him.

He stood on his toes and got to work yanking his family's clothes off the washing line before running back inside in a hurry and dropping a couple of socks on the way. He entered the house and tossed the laundry into Muriel's arms so that he could retrieve what he'd neglected.

"Thanks son..." His father muttered in gratitude once he was back in the house for good and holding the pair of worn socks in pride.

Stanley smiled back at his father and slumped down on the floor once again to keep the lonely man company.

"I hope Edith and Gerald are alright out there. This weather just keeps getting more and more dreadful..." Muriel said sadly while she gazed out the window and halfheartedly folded the small pile of shirts and dresses.

Stanley straightened up upon hearing his sister's name and remembered how even though she'd left the house that morning to acquire a loaf of bread, she had yet to actually return home from her errand.

He watched his father get up to make sure the doors and windows were shut properly, while imagining various possibilities as to what was holding Edith up.

_"Maybe she's been kidnapped...or arrested by a cop...or perhaps even ran off with some tall, dark stranger."_

He forced himself to remove the last one upon remembering she already had a beau who was fairly decent looking and whose side she likely wouldn't leave unless her life depended on it.

The rain grew heavy to the point that it was difficult to have a conversation over the loud thuds sounding on the roof. Muriel calmly wiped her hands against her dress and put a bucket in place to catch the drops of water falling from a hole in the ceiling.

A flash of lightning briefly stunned Stanley before the loud crackling of thunder prompted him to cover his ears.

The storm raged violently outside for what seemed like ages, with Stanley fearing a couple of times that the whole house would collapse from all the shaking.

His aunt Muriel exhaled in relief when the storm finally abated and the sky slowly cleared to let rays of sunlight in through the windows, making the room look much more welcoming.

He took a step towards the front door, eager to enjoy the fine weather outside, only for Muriel to call him back and ask him to help with preparing a soup for dinner.

Uncle Gerald returned in the evening as expected and followed the usual routine of laying his cap down before kissing his wife and giving his nephew a tight hug.

"Where's Edith?" He asked in surprise once he'd let go of Stanley and glanced around for a sign of his niece.

"I don't know. She should have come back hours ago..." Muriel replied without looking away from the stove.

"If you ask me, she must have taken shelter somewhere and is only now on her way back."

"In that case..." Muriel said softly as she glanced at her brother. "...we''ll wait for her a little longer."

Sure enough, Stanley's father proved correct in his assumption when Edith came knocking some time after dinner and was let into the house with her hair and clothes still damp from the earlier downpour.

A musty smell was evident while Edith filled a bowl with soup for herself though no one minded when she began distributing bread to the rest of the family.

She announced to everyone while they ate that she'd been accepted for work in a textile factory and Stanley's father soon led them all in a brief celebration at her success.

Stanley felt a new sense of hope as he drifted to sleep that night while believing that good times were just around the corner for them all.

_"Once we have enough money, Edith can get married and maybe I can finally get my own wagon..."_


End file.
